From there, we’ll tackle what is a pretty obvious “Don’t” with another popular character from the series. Final Fantasy VI’s Shadow teaches us the obvious rule of: Don’t abandon your kid! Even if you leave a daughter in the arms of a kindly yet slightly kooky old man magician, you’ll always regret it and have recurring nightmares about what could have been.
Of course, we don’t know this from the outset of Final Fantasy VI, but over the course of the game, we learn that the mysterious ninja is actually the father of Relm, a young painter and the last plot character to join the team. With her in the party, his act of abandonment catches up with him, and he is constantly forced to confront leaving her to pursue his life of crime.
Shadow breaks down over the course of the game and begins to show emotion towards the end, but, ultimately, he can’t live with himself. Once again, he takes the cowardly way out instead of living to make amends with his daughter. Make peace with your children if things happen to go astray could also be seen as a major “Do” through the eyes of Shadow and indeed many father figures throughout the history of storytelling.
Nobody wants to live with the regrets of not knowing their children or not having forgiveness in their lives. Why Shadow, such a strong character throughout the entire game, commits to his final act is beyond me, but Relm shows herself to be a strong and understanding young lady by the story’s end. Surely, with time, her and Shadow could have started the healing process.
On a more positive note, Final Fantasy VII’s fatherly figure Barret is a loving parent… when he isn’t out blowing up factories and acting like a terrorist. He listens to his daughter Marlene’s problems and experiences and dedicates the majority of his free time to her whenever he is available.
However, Barret isn’t perfect. Seriously, there is a huge “Don’t” surrounding this man, and that is: Don’t let your four-year old daughter run the local slum bar.
Four-year old girls shouldn’t be selling alcohol.
Compared to the other father figure in Final Fantasy VII though, Barret is an angel. We have none other than Hojo to look towards the ultimate “Don’t” which is: Don’t inject the blood of mythological demons into your unborn child and create the bane of humanity.
Seriously, just don’t do it man!
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